By Amanda Kim Stairrett
1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
FORT RILEY, Kan. – The “Big Red One” patch means something to Soldiers, said
the 1st Infantry Division’s 64th commanding general.
“They believe it. It’s a part of them,” retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan said
Friday at Fort Riley. “Being 1st Infantry Division Soldiers means something
to them. It’s moral strength. It’s like, ‘people have done this for over 100
years, so I can do it, too.'”
Sullivan’s career of service began in 1959 when he commissioned as an armor
officer. Sullivan was the 32nd Army chief of staff before retiring in 1995,
and is president and chief executive officer of the Association of the
United States Army – a job he took in 1998. That is 56-plus years of service
to the Army – and like the Soldiers he mentioned before, it means something
to him, too.
“I’m an Army Soldier,” Sullivan said, “and I’m proud of it. And I don’t care
who knows it. And I want people to know that people like me are very proud
to serve them selflessly. And I worry sometimes that people just pass it off
as ‘oh yeah, well you know …’ We really are dedicated to the well-being of
this country and the American people, and that’s why we do what we do.”
Maj. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding
general, said Sullivan has spent his entire life taking care of and serving
Soldiers.
“He’s probably the finest leader I’ve ever known in 31 years in the Army,”
Grigsby said. “A complete selfless servant since 1955, and he focuses on the
two most important things we have: our blood and treasure. He focuses on
people and he focuses on developing leaders, and that’s why our country’s
1st Infantry Division, the Fighting First, is the best division in the
United States Army.”
While at Fort Riley, Sullivan, who served as 1st Inf. Div. commanding
general from July 1988-July 1989, took an aerial tour of the post to get a
wide look at housing and training facilities. He also visited Soldiers of
2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, as they
conducted a gunnery at Douthit Range Complex, and gave a talk about
developing leaders to senior noncommissioned officers and officers, garrison
employees and local community members at Riley’s Conference Center.
“I was very, very impressed with everything that’s been done here,” Sullivan
said of Fort Riley, noting the amount of money put into big improvements to
enhance deployability, training and housing.
Those improvements touch not only active-duty Soldiers on the post, but
their families and members of the National Guard and Reserve troops who
train there, he added.
Adjutant generals from Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and
Oklahoma visited Fort Riley this week to participate in the Total Army
Conference – a day designed to enhance the partnership between active-duty
Army, National Guard and Reserve units and help those units identify
training opportunities at Fort Riley in the next five years.
Sullivan took every opportunity he could to speak with the Soldiers at
Douthit about everything from their training and schools attended to their
families and hometowns.
Sullivan loves Soldiers, Grigsby said.
“The real great leaders that are here to serve Soldiers really love
Soldiers,” Grigsby said. “They have joy in their heart for our Soldiers and
Gen. Sullivan has love and joy in his heart for each and every Soldier and
their family members.”
After his talk and a question-and-answer session at Riley’s, Sullivan was
approached by Capt. Douglas Wolfe, commander of Headquarters Support
Company, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Inf. Div.
Wolfe’s father served under Sullivan in the 1980s in Germany, and proudly
followed his former brigade commander’s career. When Sullivan was appointed
as Army chief of staff, Wolfe’s father sent him a congratulatory letter and
Sullivan responded. Wolfe’s father passed away in the summer, and Sullivan’s
note was found recently among his Army memorabilia. Wolfe’s father was
extremely proud of the note, he said, as Sullivan was a mentor and
inspiration to him, and Wolfe was happy he had the opportunity to relay that
to the retired general.
Grigsby said he hoped people took away from Sullivan’s visit that it’s all
about people and developing leaders.
“The tanks, the Bradleys, the helicopters, that’s all good stuff,” Grigsby
said, “but it takes people – people that are led appropriately, people that
are trained appropriately and people that have the will to fight. It’s just
all one big team. That’s what makes up the 1st Infantry Division and that’s
why we brought him back.”
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NEWS Sullivan visit 160205-A-DA002-074
Amanda Kim Stairrett/1st Inf. Div.
Two Danger 6s, retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan and Maj. Gen. Wayne W.
Grigsby Jr., talk about the 1st Infantry Division’s service during the
Vietnam War on Feb. 5 at Fort Riley. Sullivan commanded the “Big Red One”
from July 1988-July 1989, and visited the post to meet with Soldiers, see
the latest training facilities and housing and give a talk on developing
leaders.
NEWS Sullivan visit 160205-A-DA002-130
Amanda Kim Stairrett/1st Inf. Div.
Retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, president and CEO of the Association of the
United States Army and former 1st Infantry Division commander, asks Sgt.
Stetson Countryman of 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored
Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., about his time in the Army on Feb. 5 at
Douthit Range Complex. During a visit to Fort Riley, Sullivan met with
Soldiers of the “Deadnaughts” battalion who were conducting a gunnery.
